There he stood in the doorway: overweight, depressed and nearly homeless—a pug named Teddy Roosevelt. Teddy was Brydie Benson’s latest problem, arriving on top of her messy divorce and sudden move. Brydie needed a place to start over, so this rent-free home seemed a great idea. She just never counted on Teddy, or his owner, the Germantown Retirement Village’s toughest customer, Pauline Neumann.

And because rent-free doesn’t mean bills-free, Brydie gets a night-shift job at a big-box grocery. Whoever guessed there were so many people who wanted baked goods after midnight?

Then, she gets an idea—why not combine her baking skills with her new-found dog knowledge? And so her store Pupcakes is born. Along with a new start comes a possible new love, in the form of Nathan Reid, a local doctor with a sassy Irish Wolfhound named Sasha. And as fall turns to winter, and then to Christmas, Brydie begins to realize that life is a little bit like learning a new recipe for puff pastry—it takes a few tries to get it just right!

ABOUT ANNIE ENGLAND NOBLIN

Annie England Noblin lives with her son, husband, and three dogs in the Missouri Ozarks. She graduated with an M.A. in creative writing from Missouri State University and currently teaches English and communications for Arkansas State University in Mountain Home, Arkansas. Her poetry has been featured in such publications as the Red Booth Review and the Moon City Review. She spends her free time playing make-believe, feeding stray cats, and working with animal shelters across the country to save homeless dogs.

After dinner, Nathan refilled their wineglasses and led her into
the living room. Sasha and Teddy had settled there as well, and when Nathan
built a fire in the fireplace, Teddy dropped right in front of it and started
to snore. Sasha wasn’t far behind him.

“The living room at
Mrs. Neumann’s house has a fireplace, too,” Brydie said. “I thought about
lighting it the other night, but it hasn’t been lit in ages.”

“I’m sure she wouldn’t appreciate it if you burned her house
down trying to light the fireplace,” Nathan replied.

“No, I can’t imagine that would make her too happy.”

“Listen,” Nathan said, scooting closer to her on the couch. “I’m
sorry if I asked too many intrusive questions earlier. I’m hopeless at small
talk, and when I get nervous, I tend to fall back into doctor mode. I swear I
didn’t mean to interrogate you over chicken.”

“That’s okay,” Brydie replied. “It was actually kind of nice
to talk about it with someone who doesn’t know anything about my life before I
moved here.”

“How do you like Memphis so far?”

“It’s getting better,” Brydie said with a sly grin. Between
the wine and the fire, she felt deliciously warm.

“I’m glad to hear it.”

Brydie watched him watching her. She liked the way his curly
black hair fell in his eyes when he was concentrating. She liked the way his
T-shirt fit, not too loose or too tight. She liked the way he asked her
questions—soft, curious, but not intrusive. It made her want to tell him
everything, anything, just to keep him looking at her. Paying attention to
her.

But more than that, she realized, there was something
familiar about him, comfortable. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was,
but despite the constant butterflies in her stomach, he made her feel calmer
somehow. She could understand why people would be drawn to him as a doctor. She
could even understand why a woman might visit her elderly aunt in order to be
near him.

Nathan moved a hand up to Brydie’s face, tucking a wandering
strand of damp hair behind her ear. It sent a bolt of electricity through her,
and when he moved his hand away, Brydie felt herself grabbing a fistful of his
T-shirt and pulling him closer to her until her mouth was on his, and she could
taste the wine on his lips.

Brydie fell back into the couch and pulled Nathan down on top
of her. She could feel his hands exploring her body underneath her T-shirt, and
she burned with a need she hadn’t known existed until that very moment.

“Do you want—” Nathan began in between frenzied kisses, but
before he could finish, the ringing of his phone in his pocket cut him off.

“Ignore it,” Brydie murmured.

“I can’t,” Nathan said, pulling himself away from her with a
groan. “I’m on call at the nursing home tonight.”